1
Hizkiyahu began to reign when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Yerushalayim: and his mother's name was Aviyah, the daughter of Zekharyah.
2
He did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.
3
He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them.
4
He brought in the Kohanim and the Levites, and gathered them together into the broad place on the east,
5
and said to them, Hear me, you Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
6
For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the sight of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs.
7
Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Yisra'el.
8
Therefore the wrath of the LORD was on Yehudah and Yerushalayim, and he has delivered them to be tossed back and forth, to be an astonishment, and a hissing, as you see with your eyes.
9
For, behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.
10
Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, that his fierce anger may turn away from us.
11
My sons, don't be negligent now; for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that you should be his ministers, and burn incense.
12
Then the Levites arose, Machat, the son of `Amasai, and Yo'el the son of `Azaryah, of the sons of the Kehati; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of `Avdi, and `Azaryah the son of Yehallel'el; and of the Gershoni, Yo'ach the son of Zimmah, and `Eden the son of Yo'ach;
13
and of the sons of Elitzafan, Shimri and Ye`u'el; and of the sons of Asaf, Zekharyah and Mattanyah;
14
and of the sons of Heman, Yechi'el and Shim`i; and of the sons of Yedutun, Shemayah and `Uzzi'el.
15
They gathered their brothers, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the mitzvah of the king by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD.
16
The Kohanim went in to the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. The Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron.
17
Now they began on the first [day] of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD; and they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.
18
Then they went in to Hizkiyahu the king within [the palace], and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels of it, and the table of show bread, with all the vessels of it.
19
Moreover all the vessels, which king Achaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of the LORD.
20
Then Hizkiyahu the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.
21
They brought seven bulls, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven male goats, for a sin-offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Yehudah. He commanded the Kohanim the sons of Aharon to offer them on the altar of the LORD.
22
So they killed the bulls, and the Kohanim received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: and they killed the rams, and sprinkled the blood on the altar: they killed also the lambs, and sprinkled the blood on the altar.
23
They brought near the male goats for the sin-offering before the king and the assembly; and they laid their hands on them:
24
and the Kohanim killed them, and they made a sin-offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Yisra'el; for the king commanded [that] the burnt offering and the sin-offering [should be made] for all Yisra'el.
25
He set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the mitzvah of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Natan the prophet; for the mitzvah was of the LORD by his prophets.
26
The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the Kohanim with the trumpets.
27
Hizkiyahu commanded to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also, and the trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Yisra'el.
28
All the assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this [continued] until the burnt offering was finished.
29
When they had made an end of offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.
30
Moreover Hizkiyahu the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaf the seer. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.
31
Then Hizkiyahu answered, Now you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD; come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of the LORD. The assembly brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a willing heart [brought] burnt offerings.
32
The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.
33
The consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.
34
But the Kohanim were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: therefore their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was ended, and until the Kohanim had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the Kohanim.
35
Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order.
36
Hizkiyahu rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared for the people: for the thing was done suddenly.